I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I can be a woman in it. – Marilyn Monroe

I was catching up on an episode of The F Word with Gordon Ramsay. Chef Ramsay was on a tear to show people how fast they could cook up healthy, fresh food. He found a group of nurses who ate microwaved convenience meals for dinner every night because thought that’s all they had time for. He saw the sorry state of affairs and said to them, “You’re acting too much like women. You’re taking care of everybody else, but you’re not taking care of yourselves.”

Ouch.

And yet, I am so very good at taking care of everybody else and so very bad at taking care of myself. Continue reading →

Those numbers are so big. How to make a dent? How to make a difference?

Living in Los Angeles, sites like this one are common:

I didn’t take this photo, NoHoDamon did. But I recognize this woman. She stands in the median where Crescent Heights meets Wilshire Boulevard near Museum Row. Rather than just ask for handouts, she sells artwork – childish drawings done on cheap paper with crayons. I know that because I worked in the building behind where she’s standing for a year.

Like a lot of people, I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with the idea of handing out cash, and I don’t tend to carry much of it around with me anyway. But I always wanted to do something when I saw homeless people in the streets. So I gave it some thought and I came up with the idea of making up little kits that I could keep in my car and hand out as needed. Of course, I’m not the first person to come up with this idea, and you’ll find lots of websites giving ideas and recommendations on what to include. I call them homeless kits. No two kits are ever the same – it depends on what I was able to get hold of when I was putting them together and what time of year. But here are some of the things I have included:

Food – nonperishable items that can be opened without a can opener like beef jerky, pull-tab cans of fruit cocktail, crackers, granola bars, etc.

Plastic utensils and napkins

Plastic zipper bags in a couple different sizes

Bandages or small first-aid kits

Shampoo

Deodorant

Hand sanitizer

Razors

Soap

Socks

Flip flops

Phone cards

Paper, envelopes, and stamps

Tampons and pads

Pens or pencils

Small notebook

Gift certificates for grocery stores or fast food restaurants

Tissues

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Sunscreen

Lip balm

Gloves

Hat

Lighter

Flashlight

Lotion

Comb or brush

Deck of cards

Paperback book

Baby wipes

Nail clippers and nail files

Bottle or two of water

Sunglasses

Then I pack up cheap bags – giant plastic zipper bags, cheap gift bags, or re-usable shopping bags – with these items and leave them in my car. There’s a big supply in the trunk and I put 1 or 2 in the backseat so I can easily reach them when needed.

It feels really good to be able to give back and make someone’s day a little brighter and easier.